Heckler Demands Pledge, Obama Complies

As Barack Obama was about to begin his remarks, mentioning that the event is meant to be a "town hall," a guy on the photography riser (with a camera and a press credential) shouted out that Obama should take questions from the floor ... and then demanded that Obama recite the pledge of allegiance. Obama asked him if he is a member of the press, but then complied and invited the heckler to join him in leading the crowd in the pledge, which he did. And then Obama thanked him.

Bizarre.

I asked him to identify what press organization he is with, but he refused. He said he was speaking as a "public citizen." He went into some kind of rant about how his brother [cousin?] "died in Vietnam for the flag."

Another reporter asked for his name, but he wouldn't give it.

UPDATE: Just for the record, Obama did take questions after he concluded his remarks.

2d UPDATE: The Plain Dealer has good audio, from which I learn that I misheard the man -- he wasn't demanding that Obama take questions in general, but just that Obama take his question, which was why the pledge of allegiance had not been said. All in all, Obama handled the situation rather well.

3d UPDATE: Reuters reports that Obama's words to the heckler after everyone recited the pledge were: “We usually do an invocation and a pledge before we start so I don’t know what happened but I’m glad you reminded us.” Also, a spokeswoman for the campaign later confirmed that the early program of many of Obama’s events often includes a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.